Harry Harlow's Rhesus Monkey Experiment
Before Harlow's experiment many psychologists believed that showing affection toward children was merely a sentimental gesture that served no real purpose. Many even thought that affection would only spread diseases and lead to adult psychological problems. Through his experiments Harlow revealed the importance of a mother's love for healthy childhood development. Believing that previous behavioral views of mother-child attachment were inadequate explanations Harlow set out to prove that contact comfort is important in the development of affectional response.
Harlow's prediction was right. The monkeys, being separated from their birth mothers just hours after birth, spent more time with the cloth mother that provided no food rather than with the wire mother which did provide food. Later experiments demonstrated the infant monkeys would turn to the cloth mother for comfort and security. When the surrogate mothers were removed the monkeys would rock, scream, and cry. The experiments have no obvious flaws. Harlow conducted the experiments multiple times with the same surrogate mothers and most of the young monkeys preferred the cloth over the wire. The only thing Harlow should have considered changing would be the age of the monkeys. Although not necessary to his specific theories it would have proven if these behaviors changed as the monkeys grew older. |
If I were to conduct this same experiment I would use monkeys of various ages to see if age has any effect on behavior. I also believe it would be interesting to see if different types of animals would react the same way the infant monkeys did when separated from there mothers as well as humans. This would in fact prove that showing affection toward children does effect development.
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